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N0 MOdeU p A, PHILLIPPI.

VOLTAIG BELT. l No. 416,803. PatentedDeo. 10, 1889.

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N. PETERS Pmmmgnphor. wmgwf ma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. PHILLIPPI, OE READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORr OE THREE-FOURTHS TO CHARLES J. CLARK AND SAMUEL LUTZ, OF SAME PLACE.

VOLTAIC BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,803, dated December10, 1889.

Application filed May 7, 1889. Serial No. 309,914. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. PHILLIPPI, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reading, in the county of Berks, State of Penn- Sylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voltaic Belts, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

1o My invention has for its object the provision of a volt-aic belt fortherapeutic purposes, and it is my intention that my belt shall beadjustable, so as to provide a circuit which may be divided into twoparts where more local treatment is desired. To this end I haveconstructed my belt in the manner described in the following'specification, and with the novel features pointed out in the claims atthe end. of the same.

In the drawings, Figure l is a Afront View of my belt, showing thewater-proof fiap raised. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line yy yof Eig. l, the flap being buttoned down. Fig. 3 is a rear view of mycell-chain Idetached from the belt, and Fig. el is a vertical section onthe line cc Qc of Fig. Vl.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

The belt proper may be made of any text- 'i 3o ile material; but Iprefer to use woolen cloth or flannel A, faced with' water-proofmaterial, as rubber A. The woolen cloth is brought next to the body ofthe wearer, the rubber being turned outward. Y 3 5 As preferablyconstructed my belt is made in three sections-a battery-section B andtwo end sections B-the whole being connected by preferably elasticstraps C, and the belt is fastened in place by means of the buckles O. Aduplicate fold of water-proof material B2 is fastened along the top ofthe battery-section B, andis adapted to fold over the front of the sameand be fastened by nieansof the buttons B3. Fastened on the front orwater-proof face of the battery-section are three vertical strips D DD2. These strips are fastened to the belt by means of buttons E E E2 atthe middle and at the opposite ends of said strips, respectively, and 5oY forming electrodes with the same. The strips may be made of anyconvenient metal, German silver being preferred. Spring-buttons F, F2,and E are attached to these strips between their ends for fastening thecell-chain or battery proper to thebelt. Buttons of this 5 5 kind arepreferably employed; but it is evident that any form of fastening may beemployed whereby the cell-chain may be secured to said strips.

The cell-chain which provides the electric 6o current in my device iscomposed of any desired number of cells, which may or may not beconnected with the central strip D. As preferably constructed, however,my chain is divided into two sections, as shown Vin Eig. 3, a centralconductor being interposed between said sections and fastened to saidstrip D, as hereinafter described. The object of the division ofv thechain into two sections is the adjustment of my belt to local action, ifde- 7o sired, this adjustment being attained by the charging of onesection only, thus confining the electric action to that part of thebelt. In this way the strip D, through the electrode E, forms one end ofa circuit, the other end of which is found either at E or E2.

Each cell of my chain consists, essentially, ef a back and front platefastened together with interposed excitant-holders. My pre- A ferredconstruction is, shown at G, where the 8o plates are shown rivetedVtogether with fiber or other non-conducting rivets, the plates beingthus insulated one from the other and short circuit avoided. The topplate in this cell is extended in an aperiured and ,slotted 8 5 tongueG2, while the bottoni plate is continued in the other direction andturned back on itself, as shown at G3. Between the back and front plateis interposed the excitantholder G4, preferably in two layers, as shown,9o and hollowed out, as at G5, for the reception of the rea-gent forreplenishing the same. The excitant-holder consists of layers of textilematerial best calculated for absorption, which have been soaked in asaturated solu- 9 5 tion of muriate of ammonia or other suitablewell-known reagent. After having been thus soaked the text-ile pads aredried and are then ready for use. A proper openingA is made in the backplate of the cell opposite the holroo low in the excitant, and thisopening is closed by the pivoted valve G6. The object of thisconstruction is to enable the wearer'to insert a Wafer of muriate ofammonia or other re' agent, as desired. The back plate is perforated atintervals, as shown at G7, in order to expose a proper excitant-surfacefor the absorption of water in the preparation of the cells for action.This preparation consists in simply immersing the cell or cell-chainunder Water until the excitant has absorbed a suflicient quantity offluid to sot up brisk action in the circuit.

l iind it best in manufacturing the chains, in order to preserve thefront plate intact, to place next said front plate and against the frontof the excitant-holder a plate G3, which acts With the rear plate of thecell in producing the current in the same. The cell G is shown providedwith such a plate, having its outer edge turned up in order tofacilitate its removal. The front plate in this construction simply actsas a conductor, and is not Wasted by the mechanical action of theexcitant.

The cell H in Fig. l is typical of the modified form of my cell, showingthe plates held together by metallic rivets passing through aperturesslightly larger than the rivets themselves, and insulated from theplates of the cell by means of non-conducting Washers. These rivets areshown at H and the washers at H2. The front plate of the cell H isprovided with a slot-ted ear H3, through the slot in which the ear G3 ispassed. The back plate o'f the cell H is in all respects similar to thatof the cell G, and is provided with a similar t-urned-back ear, savethat there is no real aperture or'valve for the same corresponding to GThe excitant-holder Within the cell H is not hollowed out, as may beseen in Fig. 2. This presents a slightly-cheaper form of cel-l not soeasily replenished, but still useful in many connections. The middleconductor is shown at I, and consists of a plate having a hole near themiddle of the same, and an offset recess 12, communicating with saidhole.

Apertured and slotted ears are provided at both ends ofthe cell-chain inevery respect similar to that shown at The method of fastening the endears and central conductor is plainly shown in Fig. l, Vand consists insimply slipping' the same over the buttons F, F', and F2 on the strips,and then drawing the shank of said button into the slots on said earsand conductor.

The method of fastening the metallic strips to the battery-section ofthe belts is shown in section at Fig. 2, Where the strip D is shownfastened to the section B by means of the electrode buttons E, the endof the shank of each of which is turned over, as at E3, in order tosecure the strip. The Waterproof flap is shown insaid figure at B2, andthe spring-button is shown secured beneath the water-proof facing of thesection at F.

In using this belt the chain, is detached from the belt immersed inWater until the various cells have become properly moistened and thenreattached in the position shown in Fig. l. The Water-proof flap is thenbuttoned down over the front of the chain, as above described, in orderto save the clothes of the wearer. The belt is then applied to the body,the positionof the chain varying with the case to be treated, but theflannel side of the belt being invariably placed next the body. The belthaving been fastened in this position by means of the' buckles C', it isevident that a double circuit will be set up, proceeding through eachdivision of the belt, the middle strip, and each end strip. Thevtherapeuticfaction of this current in vcases of rheumatism, neuralgia,lumbago, andthe like has been found extremely beneficial, and byproperly varying the'strength of the excitants and the metals used inthe cells my belts may be adapted to Wearers of different ages andsexes.

lVhere desired, only one-half of the circuit may be used by simplyimmersing one-half of the chain alone, a restricted and local actionbeing the result.

l do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exactconstruction herein shown, nor to the precise number of cells employed,or arrangement in employment.

lVhat I claim isl. A belt and metallic strips secured to one side ofsaid belt by means of conducting attachments extending through the belt,in combination with a chain of cells constituting an electric battery,and means for attaching the ends of said chain to said strips,substantially as specified.

2. A belt and metallic strips secured to one side of said belt by meansof conducting attachments extending through the belt, and a water-proof{iap attached to said belt and adapted to fold over said strips, incombination witha chain of cells constituting an electric battery, andmeans for attaching the ends of said chain to said strips, substantiallyas specified.

3. A belt and metallic strips secured to the side of said belt by meansof conducting attachments extending through the belt, in combinationwith a chain of cells constituting an electric battery, andspring-buttons secured to said strips and adapted to engage with saidchain, substantially as specified.

4. A belt having three electrodes projecting through the same, incombination With a cell-chain having a central conductor, and means forconnecting the ends of said chain and said conductor to said electrodes,substantially as specilied.

5. A belt having three electrodes projecting through the same and aWater-proof flap fastened to said belt and folding over said electrodes,in combination with a cell-chain having a central conductoigand meansfor lloo IIO

connecting the ends of said chain and said plate and swinging in frontof said perforaeoncluetor to said elect-Podes, substantially as tion,substantially as speeed. 1o specified. In testimony whereof I aix mysignature in 6. A11 electric cell for voltaio belt-s, consistpresence oftwo witnesses. ing of a front and back plate and hollowed- FRANK A.PHILLIPPI. out excitant-holder secured between the two, Titnessesz saidback plate being perforated opposite C. J. CLARK, said hollow, and avalve pivoted -co said back L SAML. LUTZ.

